Graphs and Extinction

Extinction

Extinction is the process of extinguishing a behavior that is previously learned. For Ruby extinction involves attempting to terminate her association that pressing the bar results in a yummy reinforcement. The overall goal for extinction is to decrease and eventually eliminate Ruby's bar pressing behavior.

I didn't expect Ruby to respond well to extinction, but I could have never surmised how poorly she would actually respond. The first day of extinction, Ruby seemed very upset when reinforcement was not given when she pressed the bar. She would regularly jump on the bar in an attempt to receive food. For the first 15 mins or so she was doing basically every behavior that I had rewarded in the past including sticking her head all the way in the food magazine and repeatedly rearing up around the box.